Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel fights his way through a crowd of photographers and reporters as he arrives for the SEC media days on Wednesday in Hoover, Ala.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel fights his way through a crowd of photographers and reporters as he arrives for the SEC media days on Wednesday in Hoover, Ala.

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Johnny Manziel looks out to a sea of reporters.

Johnny Manziel looks out to a sea of reporters.

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Johnny Manziel talks with reporters.

Johnny Manziel talks with reporters.

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Johnny Manziel listens to a question.

Johnny Manziel listens to a question.

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Johnny Manziel was the centerpiece of Wednesday's media session.

Johnny Manziel was the centerpiece of Wednesday's media session.

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Johnny Manziel was the centerpiece of Wednesday's media session.

Johnny Manziel was the centerpiece of Wednesday's media session.

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Kevin Sumlin takes the podium.

Kevin Sumlin takes the podium.

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Kevin Sumlin at the podium.

Kevin Sumlin at the podium.

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Kevin Sumlin at the podium.

Kevin Sumlin at the podium.

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Kevin Sumlin talks with reporters.

Kevin Sumlin talks with reporters.

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Johnny Manziel does a live interview on ESPN's SportsCenter.

Johnny Manziel does a live interview on ESPN's SportsCenter.

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Aggies OK with the target on their backs

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HOOVER, Ala. - A funny thing happened amid the circus surrounding Johnny Football on the second of three SEC media days: Actual football talk occasionally broke out concerning Texas A&M's second season in the Southeastern Conference.

"We've got a bunch of new guys," cautioned second-year coach Kevin Sumlin. "We have holes we have to fill."

It's the plugs already in place, however, creating the buzz surrounding the Aggies' most anticipated season in history - starting with the aforementioned fellow nicknamed Johnny Football, sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner led 11-2 A&M to its first top-five finish (No. 5) since 1956, and the Aggies are considered a top-five team entering this season.

No longer the new kids

"People are going to be gunning for us," Manziel said Wednesday. "And that's fine."

It's also a markedly different atmosphere from a year ago, when the Aggies entered the SEC - now winner of the last seven national titles - coming off a 7-6 finish under then-coach Mike Sherman and in their last year in the Big 12, where they won their lone league title in 1998.

"We got the monkey off our back that we couldn't win in the SEC," Aggies defensive back Toney Hurd Jr. said.

Now, they're already answering plenty of questions about the college football season's most anticipated early game, when two-time defending national champion Alabama visits Kyle Field on Sept. 14. The Aggies toppled the Crimson Tide 29-24 last November in Bryant-Denny Stadium, and Alabama reportedly has A&M game video running in its weight room, along with A&M towels hanging around for Crimson Tide players to view while pumping iron.

"That game is definitely one we have circled after beating them last year," A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews said. "I'm sure they'll want to come out and get some revenge on us."

At least one thing much resembles this time last season for the Aggies: looming questions about defensive talent and depth, especially after losing starting linemen Damontre Moore (declared early for the NFL draft) and Spencer Nealy (a senior leader last season).

Staying 'consistent'

"In college football your team is changing every year, and in many cases a lot of your better players leave early," Sumlin said. "So you have to have a plan for that."

Sumlin said he understands why so many fans are excited about the Aggies this year - A&M closed out last season with six consecutive victories, including a 41-13 walloping of Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl - and that his primary job is being "consistent" in his message to his players.

"It's important for you to set the tone and not ride the wave up and down," he said.

He also offered up a little secret to the more than 1,000 media members attending the gathering that signals the unofficial start of the college football season.

"When I stood here last year, the vibe we got was very different than it is today," he said. "Trust me, we had an expectation in-house that we didn't talk about publicly. We had an expectation for our program that was very, very different than most people had. To express that to the team and create that kind of culture was important, and I don't see this as ever being about one player.

"Certainly in many instances you have a player who's a catalyst for a lot of good things. But when you talk about hype, expectation and all of those types of things, you're talking about a complete team."

Speaking of a complete team, Sumlin told reporters Wednesday that any punishment is still to be determined for suspended defensive starters Kirby Ennis, Floyd Raven and Deshazor Everett. Ennis was arrested in early February on charges of displaying a firearm and disorderly conduct, while Raven and Everett are accused of assault following an alleged fight in April at a College Station apartment complex.